Apparatus for producing a tobacco rod



I Jan. 17, 1967 H. KOCHALSKI v APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A TOBACCO ROD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- Filed Aug. 30, 1963 Jan. 17-, 1967 H. KOCHALSKI 3,298,376

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A TOBACCO ROD Filed Aug. 50, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.3

1T I F T 717 v j 6 I73 I14 713 714 Fig. 4

United States Patent 3,298,376 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING A TOBACCO ROD Horst Kochalski, Hamburg-Lohbrugge, Germany, assignor to Hauni Werke Koerber & Co. K.G., Hamburg- Bergedorf, Germany Filed Aug. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 306,655 Claims priority, application Germany, July 11, 1958, H 33,783 6 Claims. (Cl. 13184) This is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 826,055, filed July 9, 1959 and now abandoned.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a tobacco rod.

It has been proposed heretofore in the production of a tobacco rod, for the purpose of making therefrom cigarettes, to feed cut tobacco onto a rotary disc and to subject the tobacco on this rotary disc to the action of centrifugal force, whereupon the rotating tobacco mass is discharged in a tangential direction from the rotary disc in the form of a rod which is conveyed to the forming device of a cigarette rod machine.

Such apparatus produces a precompression or an initial compacting of the rotating material. However, it is not at all certain that always a uniform tobacco mass is produced and, accordingly, a uniform tobacco rod is also not produced with absolute certainty, because the necessary uniform feed of the tobacco onto the rotary disc which subjects the tobacco to the action of centrifugal force can practically not be obtained.

It is an object of the invention to produce a rotating tobacco body or ring of such density and to continuously maintain such a rotating tobacco ring by continuously adding loose tobacco particles thereto so that it is possible to separate (i.e., to sever) from the latter with reasonable reliability a uniformly dense or compact rod which remains uniformly compact throughout the course of production, namely, until that time the rod is cut into pieces.

It is another object of the invention to cut a uniformly produced tobacco rod from a mass of cut tobacco having a predetermined cross section and a uniform density, and

to convey this rod toward a cigarette rod forming band.

The invention will now be described in more detail with FIG. 1 illustrates a first apparatus in vertical section substantially as seen in the direction of arrows from the line II of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section through the apparatus as seen in the direction of arrows from the line II-II of FIG. 1 but with the double cone casing and its drive omitted;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through a second apparatus, as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IIIIII of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 4 illustrates the second apparatus in a vertical sec-- tion as seen in the direction of arrows from the line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show an apparatus for transforming a stream of loose tobacco,

particles into a tobacco rod. This apparatus comprises a hollow double conical casing 1 which is formed with an annular tobacco receiving space 1a between its spaced concentric annular walls 1b, 1c. The annular space la has a first pair of sides which are bounded by the annular 'toward the forming device, not shown.

3,298,375 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 lCC Walls 1b, 1c of the casing l and a second pair of sides including an open upper side or upper end and an underside or lower end. The casing is supplied with a stream of cut tobacco particles which are fed through the upper side of the annular space 1a by the discharge end of a belt conveyor or another suitable feeding means so that the particles of cut tobacco descend in the direction indicated by the arrow 2. The annular bottom 1a of the casing is located beneath the underside of the annular space 1a and has a substantialy horizontal helicoidal top surface having a pitch equal to the vertical dimension indicated by a reference numeral 3. The bottom 1a" is fixed to a stationary part of the machine. The hollow double conical casing 1 is rotated about a vertical axis and for this purpose is provided with a toothed rim Z which forms part of the means for rotating the annular walls 111, 1c, of the casing 1 in the same direction and which is driven in any desired manner. As a result of the rotation of the hollow double conical casing 1 and the centrifugal force acting upon the particles of cut tobacco which drop downwardly through the open upper side of the annular space 1a, there is formed at the lower end of the hollow double conical casing 1 a tobacco body or ring T which at the end B of the helicoidal top surface of the bottom 11: is continuously cut by a cutter means here shown as a rotary circular knife 4 having a blade rotating about a vertical axis and located in a horizontal plane which is disposed below the underside of the annular space 1a. The blade of the knife 4 extends into the rotating body of tobacco which moves in a direction from the upper side toward the underside of the ring T below the annular space In. The severed continuous tobacco rod which has a trimmed or equalized upper surface and a trimmed or equalized under surface is discharged onto a conveyor belt 5 which feeds the tobacco rod tangentially A belt 7, trained around rolls 8, partially surrounds the lower portion of the wall 10 and a portion of this belt extends tangentially from the wall 10 to constitute a side wall for the tobacco rod which advances with the upper stringer of the belt 5. The helical top surface of the bottom 1a is inclined downwardly from the level of the blade of the knife 4 in the same direction in which the 'walls 1b, 1c of the casing 1 rotate, and its lead equals the height of the tobacco rod. The tobacco rod is formed between the belt 7, the lower part of the wall 1b, and the bottom 1a.

It will be noted that, in accordance with the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2, the cutter 4 severs the tobacco rod from the leading (lower) end of the annular body of tobacco which revolves in and which moves axially through the annular space 1a, and that the body of tobacco is being rebuilt by tobacco added at the trailing (upper) end thereof at the same rate at which tobacco which forms the rod is being removed therefrom.

The tobacco rod is formed in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by feeding shredded tobacco between the walls 1b and 1c forming a rotating annular cone of tobacco in the space 1a whose bottom is defined by the upper surface of the helical member 1a. The ring T, below the space 1a, is defined externally by the belt 7 and internally by a short substantially cylindrical flange member which as shown in FIG. 1, is mounted upon a stationary portion of the device. The cylindrical flange has a tangential extension in confronting relation with a portion of the belt 7 on opposite sides of and above the belt 5, forming a U-shaped channel extending downwardly from the position E as seen in FIG. 2. The height of the rod on the belt 5 is determined by the location of the cutting knife 4. Obviously, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, other apparatus for producing a tobacco rod of constant density and uniform cross section may be employed and in such apparatus one side surface ofthe tobacco rod which faces the tobacco ring is limited by the knife which rotates in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis while the other three surfaces of the tobacco rod are bounded by suitable moving walls, belts or the like. This modified apparatus comprises suitable means for feeding a stream of loose tobacco particles and such means may assume the form of a fixedly mounted hopper 101 located above the central portion of a circular disc 102 driven by a motor 103 and rotating counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 3, in a horizontal plane at but spaced from the lower end of the hopper 101. The hopper 101 delivers tobacco particles at the same rate at which tobacco which forms the rod is being removed from the apparatus. concentrically around the disc 102 and substantially within the same plane is disposed a first annular wall in the form of a flat ring 104, and above and parallel to the ring 104 another similar flat ring or wall 105 is disposed leaving an annular tobacco receiving space between the two rings 104, 105. This annular space has a first pair of sides including an upper side and an underside respectively bounded by the rings 105, 104 and a second pair of sides including an open inner side and an outer side. A fixed cylindrical wall 106 extends along the peripheries of the rings 104 and 105. A vertical shaft 107 driven by a motor 108 has mounted thereon a pulley109 and a gear 110 for driving the flat rings 104 and 105, respectively. The two flat rings 104 and 105 rotate in the same direction as the disc 102; it is desirable but not necessary that the rings 104, 105 and the disc 102 be driven at the same speed.

A belt 111 which is trained around rolls 112 engages the peripheries of the rings 104 and 105 moving along at their peripheral speed. A portion of this belt 111 is adjacent to the inner side of the fixed wall 106. Another belt 113 runs at the same speed over rolls 114. The stringers of the belt 113 are located in vertical planes. Parts of the belts 111, 113 and of a further belt 115 guided by a roll 116 together form a chute which is tangential to the peripheries of the flat rings 104 and 105. The upper stringer of the belt 115 is located in a horizontal plane beneath the adjacent portions of the belts 111, 113. In a plane tangent to the rings 104, 105 there is mounted a rotating cutter 117 driven about a horizontal axis by a motor 118 and having a blade which is located in a vertical plane extending into the annular body of tobacco which is formed in the annular space between the rings 104, 105.

The particles of loose tobacco continuously supplied through the hopper 101 and landing on the central portion of the rotating disc 102 are subjected to the action of centrifugal force and are hurled in radial directions through the inner side of and into the annular space formed by the rotating flat rings 104 and 105 bounded along its outer side by the belt 111. The cross section of the annular space is larger than the cross section of the tobacco rod to be produced. A part of the so formed rotating annular tobacco body, which is precompressed by centrifugal force, is severed by the rotating cutter 117 and leaves the annular space by being tangentially propelled in the chute formed by the belts 111, 113 and 115. The blade of the cutter 117 trims both side surfaces of the resulting tobacco rod because one side surface (which travels along the belt 111) is trimmed just before the tobacco rod enters the chute and because the other side surface (which travels along the belt 113) was trimmed during the preceding revolution of the rings 104, 105. This will be readily understood since the tobacco which is being separated from the rod (i.e., the remainder of the revolving tobacco body in the annular space between the rings 104, 105) travels along the inner side of the belt 111 and its peripheral surface remains trimmed while moving toward and along the belt 113. In other words, in all embodiments of my invention, a single cutter can trim two sides of the tobacco rod by first trimming one 'side of the tobacco rod during a first revolution of the .precompressed tobacco body and by thereupon trimming the opposite side of the tobacco rod during the next revolution of the tobacco body.

In the apparatus of FIGS. 3 and 4, tobacco forming the revolving body in the annular space between the rings 104, 105 moves radially outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force and the rod is severed from the revolving body so as to leave the same along a path which is tangential with respect thereto. The hopper 101 adds a continuous stream of loose tobacco particles at the inner side of the rotating body so that this body is being rebuilt at the same rate at which tobacco forming the rod is being removed at the outer side thereof.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for forming a continuous rod of uniformly compacted tobacco, comprising an inner annular wall; an outer annular wall disposed around and defining with said inner annular wall an annular tobacco receiving space having an upper end and a lower end; means for feeding tobacco through the upper end of said annular space; means for rotating said walls about a substantially vertical axis so as to revolve and to simultaneously compact the tobacco in said annular space whereby the thus obtained annular body of compacted tobacco descends toward the lower end of said annular space; cutter means arranged to sever a continuous rod of tobacco from the annular body of tobacco emerging at the lower end of said annular space, said cutter means comprising a blade located in a substantially horizontal plane and rotating about a fixed substantially vertical axis; and a stationary bottom wall having an annular upper surface of helicoidal outline located beneath the lower end of said annular space and having a pitch which corresponds substantially to the height of the tobacco rod, said surface being inclined downwardly from the level of said blade and in the direction of rotation of said annular walls so that the annular body of tobacco which rests on said surface descends while it rotates with said annular walls.

2. An apparatus for forming a continuous tobacco rod, comprising a pair of spaced annular walls arranged to rotate about a predetermined axis and defining an annular tobacco receiving space therebetween, said annular space having an inlet portion and an open annular outlet portion; means for feeding tobacco through said inlet portion and into said annular space whereby the tobacco forms an annular body which rotates with said annular walls and advances within said annular space toward said annular outlet portion; a cutter adjacent to said annular outlet portion and extending into the rotating body of tobacco so as to sever a continuous tobacco rod therefrom; wall means for closing said annular outlet portion along a substantial part thereof, the remaining part of said outlet portion completing said annular portion and forming a delivery opening for the continuous tobacco rod which is severed by said cutter; and transporting channel means for the tobacco rod having an intake portion being contiguous and registering with said delivery opening, said transporting channel means comprising a plurality of walls one of which is constituted by a moving belt extending to said intake portion and complementing said wall means for continuously receiving the tobacco rod passing through said delivery opening.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said transporting channel means comprises three walls and said V cutter operates in a plane which is parallel to one wall of (References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITED FOREIGN PATENTS STATES PATENTS 184,314 4/ 1907 Germany.

Allison 131 4 624,871 1/1936 Germany.

8552 15 3; 5 SAMUEL KOREN, Przmary Exammer.

Kochalski 146-106 F. RAY CHAPPELL, ABRAHAM G. STONE, JOSEPH Dearsley 13184 S. REICH, Examiners. 

2. AN APPARATUS FOR FORMING A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD, COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED ANNULAR WALLS ARRANGED TO ROTATE ABOUT A PREDETERMINED AXIS AND DEFINING AN ANNULAR TOBACCO RECEIVING SPACE THEREBETWEEN, SAID ANNULAR SPACE HAVING AN INLET PORTION AND AN OPEN ANNULAR OUTLET PORTION; MEANS FOR FEEDING TOBACCO THROUGH SAID INLET PORTION AND INTO SAID ANNULAR SPACE WHEREBY THE TOBACCO FORMS AN ANNULAR BODY WHICH ROTATES WITH SAID ANNULAR WALLS AND ADVANCES WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SPACE TOWARD SAID ANNULAR OUTLET PORTION; A CUTTER ADJACENT TO SAID ANNULAR OUTLET PORTION AND EXTENDING INTO THE ROTATING BODY OF TOBACCO SO AS TO SEVER A CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD THEREFROM; WALL MEANS FOR CLOSING SAID ANNULAR OUTLET PORTION ALONG A SUBSTANTIAL PART THEREOF, THE REMAINING PART OF SAID OUTLET PORTION COMPLETING SAID ANNULAR PORTION AND FORMING A DELIVERY OPENING FOR THE CONTINUOUS TOBACCO ROD WHICH IS SEVERED BY SAID CUTTER; AND TRANSPORTING CHANNEL MEANS FOR THE TOBACCO ROD HAVING AN INTAKE PORTION BEING CONTIGUOUS AND REGISTERING WITH SAID 